Tape dispensers



June 18, 1968 s. H, FRITZINGER 3,389,040

TAPE DISPENSERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 18, 1968 Filed March 1,

G. H. FRITZINGER 3,389,040

TAPE DISPENSERS 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,389,040 TAPE DISPENSER George H. Fritzinger, 18 (Iakridge Road, West Orange, NJ. 07051 Fiied Mar. 1, 1965, get. No. 436,071 11 Claims. (Cl. 156-523) This invention relates to dispensers for pressure-sensitive tapes and more particularly to novel dispensers for applying such tapes as they are dispensed.

An object of the invention is to provide a floor tape dispenser which applies selected lengths of tape to a surface on which the operator walks without the operator having to reach down to cut the tape or to feed out a new starting length after the tape is cut.

Another object is to provide such floor tape dispenser which is controlled fully by a trigger on the handle where the handle is gripped by the operator. The tr gger operates to cut the tape when it is moved in one direction against spring pressure and to feed out a starting length of tape when the trigger is reieased.

Another object is to provide a dispenser and applicator which is adapted to handle single-coated pressure sensitive tapes wound loosely in roll form with a protective liner to cover the tacky adhesive surface until the tape is applied.

Further objects are to provide such novel dispenserapplicator for pressure sensitive tapes with protective liners, which strip the liner from the tape as the tape is dispensed, which apply a. brake on the tape supply roll to keep the roll wound tight as the tape is dispensed, which are dependable and easy to operate, and which are easy to load with tape after each roll is used up.

A still further object is to provide industrial tape dispensers of the types described which are capable of handling large heavy rolls of tape up to several inches in width.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

In the description of my invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a floor tape dispenser for dispensing single-coated pressure sensitive tape wound with a liner, showing features of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fractional side view to a larger scale of the dispenser mechanism in its unoperated condition, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the dispenser mechanism taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the dispenser mechanism in operated condition;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view of the pivoted blade and bracket assembly of the dispenser; and

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 show ng the use of the dispenser for dispensing single coated pressure sensitive tape of standard form wound in a roll without a protective liner.

The present industrial dispensers comprise a one-piece housing 11 cast as of aluminum having two spaced parallel side walls 11a and 11b of the contour shown in FIG- URE 1. These side Walls are joined at the front by an end wall 110, at their back lower portions by a cross bar 12 and at their back upper portions by a cross bar 13. Midway between the end wall 110 and upper cross bar 13 the side walls have open ended slots 14a and 14b for receiving the trunnion ends 15 of a core 16 which carries a supply roll of tape 17. Secured at one side wall 11b by screws 18 is a flat cantilever spring 19 extending in line with and overlying the respective slot 14b. This 3,389,040 Patented June 18, 1968 'ice spring has a hole 20 near the upper free end thereof to receive the respective trunnion 15 when the same is resting on the bottom of the slot 14b. By this spring engagement with the trunnion 15 the core is latched to the housing. Upon flexing the spring outwardly by hand the core is unlatched so that it can be lifted from the housing. Secured to the side walls at the lower part of the housing is a cross stud 21a on which is journalled a rubber tired roller 21. This is the applicator roller for pressing the tape onto a surface to be taped as the dispenser is moved across the surface riding on the roller 21.

The cross bar 13 is formed to provide a split collar 13a with wings 13b extending from the split sides, which are traversed by a clamping bolt 13c. A tubular handle 22 as of aluminum is inserted in this collar and clamped securely to the housing by tightening the bolt 130. The upper end of the handle 22 is bent rearwardly and fitted with a handle piece 22a as of rubber. Slidably mounted on the straight portion of the handle directly below the handle piece 22a is a tubular trigger 23 adapted to be gripped by one hand and pulled upwardly to cut the tape as will appear. This tubular trigger carries a cross pin 23a which passes through a pair of diametrically opposite slots 22b in the handle 22. The pin traverses an apertured end portion of a link 24 which extends down wardly through the handle 22 into the housing whereat it is coupled to the operating mechanism. For this purpose the lower end of the link is formed into a loop 24a closed by a cotter pin 24b to form a pivotal connection with a stud 36 of a feed rocker 25.

The feed rocker 25 comprises two generally L-shaped levers 25a and 25b rigidly interconnected in a spaced parallel relationship by a stud 36 at its far end and by two studs 37 and 3-8 at their lower intermediate portions. The levers 25a and 25]) are spaced slightly from the respective side walls 11a and 11b and are pivoted on flanged bearings 39a and 39b secured by screws 40a and 40b to the respective side walls.

Coupled to the feed rocker 25 is a U-shaped blade lever 33 having a cutting blade 27 secured to its cross member by two rivets 32. The blade lever has side arms 33a and 33b of which the arm 33a extends through the space between the side lever 25a and side wall 11a and of which the arm 33b extends through the space between the side lever 25b and side wall 11b. The Side arms are pivoted on flanged bearings 34a and 34b secured to the side walls 11a and 11b. The bearings are located about midway between the applicator roller 21 and axis of the core 16 but are displaced towards the rear of the dispenser. The blade 27 is flat and provided with an inclined cutting edge leading at its forward point into a guide lug 27a for enabling it to pick up a cooperating pivoted blade 26 when the blade lever is operated.

The pivoted blade 26 is generally rectangularly shaped and provided with two side ears 26a at its end opposite its cutting edge. The side ears are pivoted in respective holes in side arms of a U-bracket 28. This U-bracket spans the distance between the side Walls 11a and 11b and is positioned above the applicator roller 21 directly in front of the cross bar 12. The side arm 28a of th bracket is relatively wide and is secured by two screws 29 to the side wall 11a. The other side arm 28b is in the form of a lug (FIGURE 5) bent over" from the cross member 280 of the bracket so that it can be bent inwardly to secure the blade 26 in the bracket. The cross member 280 is relatively Wide and forms a guide surface for the starting length of tape after the tape is cut and before the blades are opened as is shown in FIGURE 4. In this cross member extending from one side of the lug 28b is an open-ended slot 28d in which is anchored a cantilever spring 30 for biasing the pivoted blade against a locating finger 28c extending from a lug 28f turned inwardly from the side arm 28a of the bracket. This lug can be bent by a pliers to adjust the pivoted blade so that it is picked up by the guide lug 27a of the swing blade 27 as the blade lever is turned on its pivot bearings 34. The cutting edge of the pivoted blade is about equally spaced from its pivot axis but is inclined slightly to a plane through the pivot axis by reason of the pivoted blade being bent slightly on an oblique line 26b. As a result, the two blades engage on a point which moves progressively along the cutting edges with a scissors action as the blades are closed.

In one side lever 25a of the feed rocker there is an arcuate slot 41 (FIGURE 2) engaged by a stud 42 staked to and extending inwardly from the adjacent side arm 33a of the blade lever 33. This coupling between the feed rocker and blade lever turns the blade lever clockwise to bring the blades 27 and 26 into cutting engagement as the feed rocker is raised clockwise about its pivots 32 A tension spring 43 is connected between the feed rocker and the housing 11 to hold the rocker and blade lever normally in their unoperated positions shown in FIGURE 2.

On the stud 37 there is journalled a knurled feed roller 44 which in the unoperated position of the rocker 25 is positioned just off from the cutting edge of the pivoted blade 26. The feed roller contacts the adhesive side of the tape and projects the starting length past the applicator roller for the start of a taping operation. Spaced from the feed roller at the non-adhesive side of the tape is a guide plate 45 which has two ears 45a at each end engaging respective holes in the side lever of the feed rocker. This guide plate forms a slot with the feed roller through which the tape is directed to lead the dispenser. The tape is threaded through this slot by using a strip of semistiff paper as a leader or by folding the tape back on itself so that it has an end portion without any exposed adhesive side.

Since the link 24 is connected to the cross stud 36 of the feed rocker, the feed rocker is turned clockwise from its unoperated position as the trigger 23 is pulled upwardly along the handle 22. In this clockwise movement the feed roller 44 is swept past the back side of the pivoted blade 26 and the cross member 28c of the bracket 28 to increase the length of the tape from the applicator roller to the feed roller while maintaining a substantially fixed length of tape between the feed roller and the supply roll. In the end portion of the clockwise movement of the feed rocker the blades are engaged to cut the tape at the distance of a starting length ahead of the feed roller. Upon release of the trigger 23 after the tape is cut the feed rocker is returned by the spring 43. During this return the tape is carried by adhesive contact with the feed roller past the pivoted blade and projected into its starting position shown at Ts in FIGURE 6.

A feature of the invention which causes the starting length Ts of tape to be fed out fiat without wrinkling or curling and to be directed positively in a correct position against the applicator roller 21, resides in a guide bail 46 which embraces the feed roller 44 and is pivoted at its ends on the stud 37 between the ends of the feed roller and the respective side levers of the feed rocker 25. This guide bail has an ear 460 at one end and between this ear and a pin 47 on the side lever 25a is a tension spring 48 which constantly urges the guide bail against the adhesive side of the tape. When the feed rocker is turned to cut the tape the guide bail slidably engages the adhesive side of the tape backed by the cross member 28c of the blade bracket 28 (FIGURE 4) and when the feed rocker is returned to unoperated position the guide bail is turned by the spring 48 to hold releasably the starting length Ts of the tape against the applicator roller 21 (FIGURE 2). Since the guide bail engages the tape along only a line it does not place any appreciable drag on the tape as the tape is drawn from the dispenser.

Another feature which prevents any possible backfeeding of the tape such as might result in the starting length becoming lost after the tape is cut resides in providing a one-way feed bail 49 on the stud 38. This bail is biased constantly against the adhesive side of the tape backed by the guide plate 45 by means of a tension spring 50 connected between an apertured ear 49a on the bail and the pin 47. The bail 49 engages the tape at a suitable acute angle relative to the guide plate 45 to provide a slight wedging action of the bail against the tape if the tape is pulled in a backfeeding direcion. A finger-piece 49b is secured to the bail 49 so that the bail can be easily turned away from the guide plate 45 to open a space therebetween when the machine is to be loaded with tape.

The operation of the present dispenser with standard single coated tape wound in roll form on itself without any liner is illustrated in FIGURE 6. First, a leader as of semi-stiff paper indicated by the dotted line 51 is inserted from the bottom of the housing through the slot between the guide roller 44 and guide plate 45 opened by manually moving the guide bail 46 away from the applicator roller 21 and the one-way feed bail 49 away from the guide plate 45. The free end of a supply roll 52 of standard tape placed on the core 16 is attached by adhesive contact to the upper end of this leader. The core 16 is then dropped into the housing with the trunnions 15 moving down through the slots 14a and 1411 until the core is latched by the spring 19. The leader is then pulled out from the bottom of the housing to draw the tape from the supply roll along the dotted line 51 and across the bottom of the applicator roller 21. The dispenser can then be rolled along a floor surface riding on the applicator roller to dispense and apply any desired length of tape. Whenever the trigger 23 is pulled upwardly during such dispensing operation the tape will be cut and When the trigger is released the starting length Ts ahead of the guide bail 46 is fed downwardly and projected past the applicator roller 21 as indicated in FIGURE 6.

The operation of the present dispenser with special single coated tape wound in roll form with a protective line L is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 4. Since a roll 17 of this tape is wound loose without adherence of one convolution to the other, it is necessary to place a drag on the core 16 to keep the roll tight as the tape is dispensed. For this reason each end wall of the core 16 is faced with a friction disk 53 as of cork and two flat cantilever springs 54a and 54b are secured by screws 55 to the inner walls of the housing sides 11a and 11b in upright positions with the upper portions bent inwardly so that they bear with pressure against the friction disks 53 of the core.

A means for removing the liner L from the tape as the tape is drawn from the supply roll 17 comprises an idler roller 56 and a stripper roller 57 journalled crosswise between the side walls 11a and 11b in the forward portion of the housing. The tape and liner are drawn forwardly past the underside of the idler roller and then almost completely around the stripper roller 57 and back to the feed and cutting mechanism. The sharp curvature of the tape around the stripper roller tends to strip away the liner L from the tape. Since the tape is now guided across the stud 38 before it enters the path described above with reference to FIGURE 6, two short knurled rollers 58 are placed on this stud between the end portions of the oneway feed bail and the side levers 25a and 25b of the feed rocker and a longer knurled roller 58a is placed on the stud to bridge the space between the side arms of the bail 49 (FIGURE 3).

To assure that the liner L is stripped from the tape as it is drawn around the stripper roller 57, a flat stripper spring 59 is mounted on the forward pointer portion 11p of the housing with its inner end contiguous to and tangential with the stripper roller. The stripper spring 59 is secured to a thumb screw 60 which passes through a clearance hole in the pointer 11 Between the lower side of the pointer 11p and a nut 60a on the thumb screw is a compression spring 61 which presses the stripper down- D wardly into a locating slot 62 in the top edge of the end wall 11c. When the machine is to be loaded with tape the thumb screw 60 is lifted and turned to move the stripper spring 59 to the side so as to clear the slot between the stripper roller 57 and the end wall 110 of the housing. The stripper roller is held against end play by retainer rings 63 which abut the side walls of the housing, one ring being shown in FIGURE 3. The idler roller has also such retainer ring at one end but is held releasably at the other end by a wire torsion spring 64 having its central coil mounted on a headed screw 65 in the end wall and having its lower arm bearing against a pin 66 and its upper arm engaging a groove in the idler roller. By lifting the upper arm of the spring the idler roller can be shifted lengthwise until the retainer ring on the far end abuts against the side wall carrying the spring 64. This shifting of the idler roller clears the way to ease the threading of the tape. For instance, after the tape is drawn from the supply roll 17 and the liner L is peeled back to extend across the stripper spring 59, the tape leading to the stripper roller is pressed downwardly below the idler roller and the idler roller is pushed lengthwise to reengage the far end in its bearing in the side wall 11a at which point the spring 64 again engages the groove in the idler roller. It will be understood that the inner end of the tape is drawn through the feed and cutting mechanism with the aid of a leader in the same way as has been described with respect to the embodiment of FIGURE 6.

The embodiments of my invention herein particularly shown and described are intended to be illustrative and not necessarily limitative of my invention since the same are subject to changes and modifications without departure from the scope of my invention, which I endeavor to set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A floor tape dispenser comprising a dispense-r housing having means for carrying a supply roll of tape and an applicator roller for applying tape to a floor surface as the dispenser is moved thereacross, a tubular handle secured to and extending upwardly from said housing having a handle grip enabling a person to move the dispenser on a floor surface while in a standing posi tion, a dispenser mechanism in said housing shiftable in one direction to cut the tape back of said applicator roller and shiftable in the other direction to project a starting length of tape adjacent to said applicator roller, a movable trigger on the upper portion of said handle, and a link mechanism coupling said trigger to said dispenser mechanism via said tubular handle for controlling the dispenser mechanism by said trigger.

2. The floor tape dispenser set forth in claim 1 wherein said trigger comprises a sleeve member slidably mounted on .Lsaid handle, and wherein the portion of said handle embraced by said sleeve is provided with two diametrically opposite slots extending lengthwise of the handle through the distance of movement of said sleeve, including a diametrically extending cross pin in said sleeve traversing said slots, and a link member included in said link mechanism having an apertured end portion traversed by said pm.

3. A dispenser for applying selected lengths of tape to a surface to be coated, comprising a dispenser housing having means for carrying a supply roll of tape and having an applicator roller journalled to a lower portion of, said housing for rolling tape onto said surface, a blade pivoted to said housing above said applicator roller, a blade lever pivoted to said housing and having a swing blade mounted thereon for engaging said pivoted blade to cut the tape as said blade lever is turned on its pivot axis from an unoperated position, a feed rocker having a rotatable feed roller thereon at the adhesive side of the tape adjacent to said applicator roller when the feed rocker is in unoperated position, means pivoting said rocker to said housing to cause said :feed roller to be moved past the back side of said pivoted blade as the feed rocker is turned from unoperated position, a coupling between said feed rocker and said blade lever to cause the tape to be cut as the feed rocker is moved through an end portion of its forward stroke, and a guide bail embracing said feed roller and pivoted on said feed rocker coaxially with said feed roller, said guide bail extending past said pivoted blade and being biased against the adhesive side of the tape backed by said applicator roller whereby the guide bail is cammed rearwardly by said pivoted blade as said feed rocker is turned through its forward stroke and is turned forwardly to press the tape ahead of said feed roller against said applicator roller a the feed rocker is returned to unoperated position.

4. The dispenser set forth in claim 3 including a guide plate on said rocker at the non-adhesive side of the tape leading inwardly from said feed roller to said supply roll, a one-way feed bail pivoted to said rocker for slidably engaging the tape backed by said guide plate, and spring means connected between said one-way feed bail and said rocker for biasing said one-Way feed bail constantly against the tape.

5. A dispenser for single coated pressure sensitive tape wound loose in roll form with a protective liner, comprising a housing having an applicator roller journalled to a lower portion thereof and having a core journalled thereon for supporting a supply roll of said tape, friction-brake means interposed between said core and said housing for placing a drag on the core to keep the supply roll of tape wound tight on itself as the tape is drawn therefrom, stripper means engaging the tape between said supply roll and said applicator roller for peeling off the liner as the tape is dispensed, and a feed-cut mechanism between said stripper means and said applicator roller shiftable in one direction to cut the tape and in the other direction to feed out a starting length of tape adjacent to said applicator roller.

6. The dispenser set forth in claim 5 wherein said housing has means for supporting said stripper means at the forward portion thereof and for directing the liner peeled from the tape in a forward upward direction relative to the housing.

7. The dispenser set forth in claim 6 wherein said stripper means comprises a stripper roller around which the tape is led from said supply roll to said feed-cut mechanism, said liner being relatively stiff and said stripper roller having a sufiiciently small diameter to cause said liner to peel itself from the tape, and a fiat stripper member mounted on a forward end wall of said housing and extending past a gap between said end wall and said stripper member into a contiguous tangential relationship to said stripper member for further aiding in peeling the liner from the tape as tape is drawn around said stripper roller.

8. The tape dispenser set forth in claim. 7 wherein said stripper member is pivotally mounted on a vertical axis in said forward end wall to permit it to be turned sidewise to clear said gap and permit the tape to be threaded there through, said forward end wall being notched to receive said stripper member in a stripping position, spring means acting on said stripper member to hold the: same yieldably in said notch, and manual means for lifting the stripping member from said notch.

9. The tape dispenser set forth in claim 7 including an idler roller journalled in said housing for guiding the tape from said supply roll onto the stripper roller, and means mounting said idler roller to permit the same to be shifted longitudinally out of the path of the tape to facilitate threading the tape from said supply roll and around said stripper roller, said mounting means including means for releasably retaining the idler in its normal position in said housing.

10. A dispenser for single coated pressure sensitive tape wound loosely in roll form with a protective liner, comprising a housing having two spaced parallel side walls joined at the front and back, an applicator roller journalled between lower portions of said side walls, a core for supporting a Supply roll of said tape journalled between upper central portions of said side walls, stripper means between forward portions of said side walls for peeling the liner from the tape as the tape is drawn from the supply roll forwardly past said stripper means and thence downwardly and backwardly into the housing, a feed rocker pivoted between said side Walls and having a feed roller journalled thereon for increasing the length of tape from said applicator roller to the supply roll as the rocker is turned in a forward direction, a cutting mechanism operated by said feed rocker for cutting the tape back of said applicator roller and ahead of said feed roller as the rocker is turned in a forward direction, means for directing a starting length of tape ahead of said feed roller into a position adjacent tosaid applicator roller as said feed rocker is returned, a guide plate on said rocker leading upwardly from said feed roller at the non-adhesive side of the tape, a one-way feed bail pivoted to said rocker for engaging the adhesive side of the tape backed by said guide plate, and a guide roller journalled in said rocker 8 coaxially with said one-way feed bail and across which the tape is led from said stripper means to said feed roller. 11. The dispenser set forth in claim 10, including a tubular handle secured to and extending upwardly from the rearward portion of said housing to enable the dispenser to be moved across a floor surface while the op erator is in a standing position, and a trigger slidably mounted on the upper portion of said handle and coupled to said feed rocker for cutting the tape as the triggeriis lifted upwardly and for feeding out a starting length of tape as the trigger is returned.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1961 Fritzinger 156584 DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLOOR TAPE DISPENSER COMPRISING A DISPENSER HOUSING HAVING MEANS FOR CARRYING A SUPPLY ROLL OF TAPE AND AN APPLICATOR ROLLER FOR APPLYING TAPE TO A FLOOR SURFACE AS THE DISPENSER IS MOVED THEREACROSS, A TUBULAR HANDLE SECURED TO AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID HOUSING HAVING A HANDLE GRIP ENABLING A PERSON TO MOVE THE DISPENSER ON A FLOOR SURFACE WHILE IN A STANDING POSITION, A DISPENSER MECHANISM IN SAID HOUSING SHIFTABLE IN ONE DIRECTION TO CUT THE TAPE BACK OF SAID APPLICATOR ROLLER AND SHIFTABLE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO PROJECT A STARTING LENGTH OF TAPE ADJACENT TO SAID APPLICATOR ROLLER, A MOVABLE TRIGGER ON THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID HANDLE, AND A LINK MECHANISM COUPLING SAID TRIGGER TO SAID DISPENSER MECHANISM VIA SAID TUBULAR HANDLE FOR CONTROLLING THE DISPENSER MECHANISM BY SAID TRIGGER. 